Windows Live Essentials Sucks!

I use Windows 7 and I will enumerate my reasons to hate Windows Live Essentials:

1. I don't really like the way Microsoft allows you to install some of their software. They let you download a small setup file such as Office 2010 Beta , and running that setup file lets you download the rest of the application. So why not just let it be downloaded on a whole large file????

2. Months ago, I installed Windows Live Movie Maker and Windows Live Photo Gallery, but I soon found out that they were installed with things like Windows Sign in Assistant and Windows Live Skydrive Upload Tool which I don't need, frankly.

3. Windows Live Photo Gallery is somehow slower than Vista's Windows Photo Gallery, especially on loading image thumbnails. Windows Live Movie Maker- what the heck, Windows Movie Maker 2.6 was much more understandable and better.

4. I wanted to remove Windows Live Movie Maker but would like to keep Windows Live Photo Gallery, but I found no way to uninstall Windows Live Movie Maker only, I had to remove the entire Windows Live Essentials but that would rid off Windows Live Photo Gallery as well. I tried to uninstall it using CCleaner and Add/Remove programs but it always fails, it simply won't do anything to uninstall it.

5. I was finally able to uninstall Windows Live Essentials with Revo Uninstaller Portable, along with the other components like the Sign in Assistant and Skydrive Upload Tool, but my God, Windows Live Essentials left behind hundreds in not a thousand registry keys, orphaned files and folders in the C: drive. Running a registry scan, revealed even more orphaned registry entries. I fixed them all but have backed up the registry with Erunt beforehand.

6. I wanted to reinstall Windows Live Photo Gallery, so I had to run the wlsetup-web setup file again. It says, I already have Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Movie Maker installed. What the heck?????? I thought I just removed them completely. It could only mean that there is some left over file or registry entry that is telling the setup that Windows Live Movie Maker and Windows Live Photo Gallery is still there.Now there is no way to reinstall Windows Live Photo Gallery!!!!!!

That was among the worse software experiences, I ever had....

Now has anybody seen the same???

I only use WLM. The only thing I don't like is Choice Guard, which always installs (but you can easily uninstall it).

Maybe you'll want to wait for the Wave 4 (beta in June) to test Movie Maker and others again ?

Well, its not easy for me to trust Microsoft again when it comes to their recent software packages that does not suit me well. If you read my statements above, carefully, you'll learn why it caused me such dismay.

Seems like Photo Gallery is dependant on Movie maker

http://www.ehow.com/how_2278927_uninstall-windows-movie-maker.html

Does this not let you just install photo gallery?

http://download.live.com/photogallery

Any help here?

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en/vistaprograms/thread/00dd780c-dc21-4241-820f-0cfe22dee8a8

Does this not let you just install photo gallery?

http://download.live.com/photogallery

Well, I said, I installed both Windows Live Movie Maker and Windows Live Photo gallery and that is where I got the wlsetup-web which is the setup of Windows Live Essentials. I chose to install ONLY those two but little did I know, that installing them installs some smaller components like Windows Live Sign in Assistant which is mandatory when you install any of the Windows Live Essentials applications.

I disliked Windows Live Movie Maker but there was no way to remove that without removing Windows Live Essentials and removing that would in turn remove Windows Live Photo Gallery as well which I did with Revo Uninstaller. I cleaned the registry, after that but I reserved a backup with Erunt.

I tried running the wlsetup-web again to install ONLY Windows Live Photo Gallery this time but now the setup thinks, I still have Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Movie Maker installed. Look at the screenshot...

Pidgin

Pidgin

There is an endless list of replacements/alternatives to the garbage Microsoft puts out.

There is an endless list of replacements/alternatives to the garbage Microsoft puts out.

I've got a friend using Pidgin. Or, rather, he was using Pidgin for a short time. Why did he uninstall it ? Because everytime he talked to someone using WLM, both had bugs (Messages not sent, contact appearing offline while he isn't, etc.).

Besides, Pidgin stores the passwords in... guess what ? An unencrypted text file. That means anyone using your computer can know your passwords using Notepad to open accounts.xml .

http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/8026 << Resolution : Wontfix.:o

I've got a friend using Pidgin. Or, rather, he was using Pidgin for a short time. Why did he uninstall it ? Because everytime he talked to someone using WLM, both had bugs (Messages not sent, contact appearing offline while he isn't, etc.).

Besides, Pidgin stores the passwords in... guess what ? An unencrypted text file. That means anyone using your computer can know your passwords using Notepad to open accounts.xml .

http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/8026 << Resolution : Wontfix.:o

I use Pidgin Portable and the everything is one folder. No one has access to my machines but me so that petty problem you pointed out is of no concern to me.

For every piece of Microsoft software there is a better alternative out there and 99.9% of the time it's free.

For every piece of Microsoft software there is a better alternative out there and 99.9% of the time it's free.

What I like about you is that you never generalize, and your opinion is completely objective. :rolleyes:

What I like about you is that you never generalize, and your opinion is completely objective. :rolleyes:

First I challenge you to prove me wrong. My opinion is in fact completely objective. I have no personal stake in any program or software company. I gain nothing by supporting one over the other.When I decide on one it's objective and I pick the better one. It begins and ends there.

Secondly, there are hundreds of lists out there of best free ware and there is a reason for that. Most if not all of the MS apps are not very good. Thats why there are so many of these lists. There is a large list right on this forum and it's rare to see a MS app recommended as the best for anything in it or any other list. WHY IS THAT? I eagerly await your response objective one.

So, I'm sure you have a free, better alternative for MS Office ?

So, I'm sure you have a free, better alternative for MS Office ?

MS Office is much more than I will ever need. I find it bloated and loaded with things I will never use. I prefer Google Docs and Zoho to MS Office. If I need a installed suite I like Open Office and I would use the portable version of it. I would never say MS Office is junk like most of the other MS software but that is the one exception and it should be since it's their bread and butter. The fact that you could only give MS office as an example just proves the lack of quality in MS apps.

If I need a installed suite I like Open Office and I would use the portable version of it. I would never say MS Office is junk like most of the other MS software but that is the one exception and it should be since it's their bread and butter. The fact that you could only give MS office as an example just proves the lack of quality in MS apps.

I have used Open Office Portable as well but its not as good as Microsoft Office. It is very prone to crashes even when run in compatibility mode. Plus Microsoft Office's ribbon interface is far more superior.

Yes, I also hate the way that Microsoft has these software packages that have things you don't want want like Microsoft Office Groove for example. Why not just let the user choose which apps should come with the package so it consumes less space??? And removing Office, leaves behind a lot of orphaned data as well.

And I also hate the same concept about Windows Live Essential's installer package and it even has problems in uninstallment if it wasn't for Revo. Plus the hundreds of related registry it leaves behind as well.

I hate that, too (Live Essentials package). But if you only need MSN, there's nothing better than Windows Live Messenger + the a-patch.

I hate that, too (Live Essentials package). But if you only need MSN, there's nothing better than Windows Live Messenger + the a-patch.

The MPL skin Messenger Live Toolbox is also good at hiding things (and it has a hidden pref to hide ads, if someone is interested ;)).